Seatbelt check leads to pot bust

THIBODAUX - Authorities in Lafourche Parish say a search of a car stopped at a seatbelt checkpoint resulted in the discovery of more than $2,000 worth of marijuana.

Lafourche Sheriff Craig Webre says that the seatbelt checks were conducted Wednesday on Louisiana Highway 316. He says that when officers stopped a van in which a child was not properly restrained, they smelled marijuana.

Deputies searched the vehicle and allegedly found bags of high-grade marijuana, a handgun and other drugs.

The release says 24-year-old Vahn Butler of Houma was booked with a variety of charges, including possession with intent to distribute marijuana. Charges against 24-year-old Tonia Parfait of Bayou Blue include using a controlled dangerous substance in front of a child.